Natasha Richardson

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I am shocked, nay, stricken by the news of the death of Natasha Richardson. Back in the 1980s, she was, all by herself, a good enough reason for me to go see a movie. I loved her as Mary Shelley in Ken Russell’s absolutely stark-raving-mad Gothic, then as Patty Hearst in Paul Schrader’s movie of the same name, then in The Handmaid’s Tale and again with Schrader in The Comfort of Strangers. I knew that if Natasha Richardson was in it, it was bound to be smart, daring and a little bit crazy. I regret not seeing her on stage in New York when I lived there and she doing O’Neill with Liam Neeson. I have nothing else to offer, except my deepest sympathy for her family.

Comments

10 Responses to “Natasha Richardson”
  1. capthek says:

    Words fail me.

    That fucking sucks.

  2. antiotter says:

    Sad. I worked as a ski instructor before I joined the Army, and I always encouraged people to wear a helmet.

    It doesn’t matter how good you are, there’s always someone worse careening out of control, or just plain bad lack.

    Plus, the back of my helmet is pretty scratched up from incompetent lift operators smacking me in the back of the head with the chair-lift pole, because they improperly set up their station.

  3. 55seddel says:

    We lost an actress with poise!

  4. She was such a hard worker for AIDS charity, too, and her sons are only 12 and 13. It’s absolutely terrible.

  5. gazblow says:

    Thanks for saying something about this wonderful actress. It’s safe to say that she was one of the good guys in this business. Be it in edgy material like Patty Hearst or The Handmaiden’s Tale or commercial fare like The Parent Trap, she brought a level of class, dignity and humanity to her roles that elevated everything she on which she worked. This is a real loss.

  6. teamwak says:

    Very sad news indeed.

    I’ve actualy skied in this place too. Such a shame. I think Sonny Bono went in a skiing accident too. Something to bear in mind next time I go skiing.

    RIP 🙁

  7. craigjclark says:

    I actually have Patty Hearst on tape, but haven’t gotten around to watching it yet. Now I have no excuse.

  8. stormwyvern says:

    The news reports I’ve been hearing indicate that the accident occurred during a skiing lesson, which would seem to imply that she wasn’t doing anything particularly dangerous. And it was one of those situations where she initially seemed fine and was walking around with no apparent ill effects and the seriousness of the injury didn’t become evident until later.

    Very sad. It’s always hard to lose an artist who could well still have some amazing work ahead of her. This must be horrible for her family.

  9. cornekopia says:

    Thanks for commenting on this. I couldn’t think of what to say, but I feel the way you do. She had many great performances to come, and was a happy person with a big talented family. Terrible!

  10. Anonymous says:

    “The Handmaid’s Tale” is over 20 years old & it still freaks me out. A prescient, cautionary story if there ever was 1.
    Did I read somewhere Margaret Atwood especially wanted her to play Kate/Offred? It’s been so long, I might be mistaken.
    A luminous woman, Ms. Richardson; very kind & unpretentious, regardless of her stature in the business.
    She will be greatly missed.